1. Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C/gas 6. Place fairy cake cases into the bun tin.

2. Measure all the cake ingredients into a large bowl and beat well for two to three minutes until the mixture is well blended and smooth. Fill each case with the mixture.

3. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cakes are well risen and golden brown. Lift the paper cases out of the bun tin and cool the cakes on a wire rack.

4. To make the icing, beat the butter and icing sugar together until well blended. Cut a slice from the top of each cake and cut this slice in half. Pipe a swirl of butter cream into the centre of each cake and place the half slices of cake on top to resemble butterfly wings. Dust the cakes with icing sugar to finish.

To make chocolate butterfly cakes, follow the above recipe, then make the chocolate icing by mixing two tablespoons of cocoa powder with three tablespoons of hot water. Allow to cool slightly, then beat in 175g (6oz) softened butter and 350g (12oz) sifted icing sugar until well blended.

To make these butterfly cakes really chocolaty, you can replace 25g (1oz) of self-raising flour from the cake ingredients with 25g (1oz) cocoa powder to make the cakes have a chocolate flavour too.

The Theatre Royal Norwich’s favourite pantomime dame popped in to visit the excited youngsters at Larkman Primary School, in Clarkson Road, Norwich, yesterday where butterfly cake-baking was on the timetable to raise awareness of the Benjamin Foundation Butterfly Cake Bake.

The Norfolk-based charity - which has a butterfly for its logo - turns 18 on October 25 and as part of its birthday celebrations is encouraging people to have fun by baking butterfly cakes and hosting fundraising cake bakes.

Armed with wooden spoons and mixing bowls and with lots of flour-throwing going on too, the enthusiastic youngsters at Larkman Primary certainly had a great time taking part in the celebrations with their special guest.

Eight-year-olds Shai Hales and Holly Waller said it was one of their favourite cookery lessons and that having the panto dame join them for class was “awesome”.

“I liked having the flour thrown on me because it felt like snow,” added Holly.

Richard Gauntlett, who was dressed as Sarah the Cook for the occasion and will be playing Widow Twankey in the theatre’s Christmas show Aladdin, said: “We had a great time - they are a lovely bunch of children.”

He urged everyone to join in with the Benjamin Foundation’s tasty anniversary fundraiser for which baking expert Mary Berry, from the BBC’s The Great British Bake-off, is sharing one of her recipes.

He said: “I am a big fan of Mary Berry and the cakes are really nice. It is a lovely recipe - everyone should get baking!”

The Benjamin Foundation, which is in memory of Benjamin Draper who died in a motorbike crash when he was just 17, was set up in 1994 to provide a small number of rural youth services in north Norfolk.

It has grown over the years and now operates more than 20 services across the county including five supported accommodation centres for young homeless people, crisis intervention for families through its parent support advisor team, and a newly opened children’s home for 11 to 16-year-olds.

Benjamin’s father Richard Draper, founder and chief executive of The Benjamin Foundation, said: “We now help thousands of people each year to deal with the heartbreaking, devastating or simply exhausting challenges that life throws at them.

“Whether we’re providing a safe place for a homeless teenager to live or helping to rebuild a family in crisis, our work is all about providing hope, opportunity, stability and independence for people in Norfolk who are in real need. “We’re hoping that lots of people in Norfolk will help us celebrate our 18th birthday by organizing their own Butterfly Cake Bake to raise money for The Benjamin Foundation.”

• Find out more about The Benjamin Foundation’s 18th birthday fundraising celebrations and how you can organize your own Butterfly Cake Bake by visiting www.benjaminfoundation.co.uk

• Aladdin will be at the Theatre Royal from December 18 until January 19. For more information or to book tickets call 01603 630000 or visit www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk

• Are you organising a special event for charity? Call reporter Emma Knights on 01603 772428 or email emma.knights@archant.co.uk